Cadillac gave a first look in June at its new LMDh race car, which will compete next year in both the IMSA SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship at the highest level in the GTP and Hypercar classes respectively.
Dubbed the V-LMDh, the new racer is currently being tested at racetracks across the country, and this week Cadillac released a video showing some of the testing that was recently held at Georgia’s Road Atlanta.
Cadillac has yet to reveal full details on the V-LMDh, but we do know that the car uses a Dallara chassis and runs a hybrid powertrain with a 5.5-liter V8 with dual overhead camshafts for the internal combustion component. There is also a single engine generator, probably positioned on the front axle. According to LMDh rules, powertrain output must be limited to 670 hp.
Cadillac describes the V-8 as a newly developed unit, so it’s not just the engine from the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R racing car, but also a DOHC V-8 with a displacement of 5.5 liters. Judging by the audio in the video, the V-LMDh engine doesn’t run on a flat crank like in the Corvette C8.R (and Corvette Z06).
Cadillac is partnering with two of its existing partner teams for its LMDh campaign in the current DPi class of the SportsCar Championship, which will be replaced by the GTP class next year. The teams are Chip Ganassi Racing and Action Express Racing. Chip Ganassi Racing was responsible for the Ford GT’s fairytale victory in the GTE Pro class at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 50th anniversary of Ford’s famous victory over Ferrari with the GT40 at the French classic.
Driving the V-LMDh for Chip Ganassi Racing in the SportsCar Championship is Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande, and for Action Express Racing Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims drive. Additional drivers for both teams will be announced at a later date.
Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook drive the V-LMDh in the World Endurance Championship. The car will be used by Chip Ganassi Racing and will run for the full season, which means one run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It will be Cadillac’s first return to the French classic after 21 years.
The GTP and Hypercar classes in which Cadillac will compete are open to both the new LMDh cars and the current LMH cars, with Balance of Performance rules planned to ensure a level playing field.
Acura, BMW and Porsche will also field LMDh race cars, and Alpine and Lamborghini will join the fray in 2024. ByKolles, Ferrari, Glickenhaus, Peugeot and Toyota are all involved in the LMH category.
The first race for LMDh will be the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona next January. The race is the inaugural round of the 2023 SportsCar Championship.